Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

I was a good Center and, I'd like to think a pretty good Linebacker in the sandlot world of San Francisco.
I was even a decent possession receiver when pressed into service.
But I was an awful Defensive Lineman. I never learned the basics of that position and since that (fundamentals) and effort was what I did best I was pretty hopeless trying to pass rush off the line.

We had the opposition backed up to about their own three and (for some reason) I was playing LDE.
I rushed up field successfully but was pushed away from the pocket and was about ten yards away from the Quarterback when he cocked his arm to throw. But my teammate Earl was a ferocious pass rusher and just as the QB let loose the ball Earl charged up the middle with both arms raised.

There was a tremendous THUMP as the ball ricocheted off Earl's forearms and spiraled into the air.
I was still facing the pocket and could see the ball coming towards me. But the guy blocking me couldn't see what was happening so he threw both his arms into my chest and put me on my back.
But (I swear, I couldn't make this up) as I was falling backwards the ball came within reach and I speared it with my right hand as I landed on my back holding the ball straight up in the middle of the end zone.
Touchdown.

So, aside from taking a trip down memory lane remembering this moment made me wonder if such a thing has ever happened in the NFL.

I couldn't recall a deflected pass caught by the defense in the end zone for a touchdown...
...but it must have happened sometime... ?

Chris Kelsey deflected a Tony Romo pass and caught it in the end zone in 2007.
James Allen vs. Tampa Bay in 2002. It came on a failed punt, but Tom Tupa was a former QB. Tupa was about to get tackled for a game-ending safety in OT and threw the ball away hoping for a miracle. It went right to Allen.

conace21 wrote:Chris Kelsey deflected a Tony Romo pass and caught it in the end zone in 2007.
James Allen vs. Tampa Bay in 2002. It came on a failed punt, but Tom Tupa was a former QB. Tupa was about to get tackled for a game-ending safety in OT and threw the ball away hoping for a miracle. It went right to Allen.

In Tampa Bay's first ever victory in 1977, defensive lineman Greg Johnson intercepted a deflected Archie Manning's pass in the endzone for aTD.

Can't look up the dates/names at the moment but I know RG3 and Andy Dalton have both thrown a 0 yard pick-six. For recent examples.

Reaser wrote:Can't look up the dates/names at the moment but I know RG3 and Andy Dalton have both thrown a 0 yard pick-six. For recent examples.

RG3:

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/b ... 030was.htm

Dalton:

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/b ... 230was.htm

It wasn't zero yards, but Larry Hand presumably holds one record for DL pick-sixes: On 10/1/67, he picked off Jim Hart and returned it two yards for a TD. One week later, he picked off Zeke Bratkowski at the Green Bay four and waltzed into the end zone.

Richard Dent nearly had one to break the ice in the Bears' legendary 44-0 rout of the Cowboys during the 1985 season. He was credited with a one-yard return.

I tried to use PFR's "Player Touchdown Finder" feature to come up with a list, but it turns out that 0-yard interception returns are not listed as such in the boxscore (they are categorized as "pass intercepted in end zone") and therefore are not included in their database.

I thought it had happened in the Bucs' first win ever on December 11, 1977 at New Orleans, but apparently Greg Robinson's touchdown was officially scored a fumble and not an interception.

Then I thought it might have been Russel Erxleben's ill-advised pass out of punt formation that was intercepted by James Mayberry, but that was from the six yard line.

So I'm stumped.

Todd Pence wrote:I tried to use PFR's "Player Touchdown Finder" feature to come up with a list, but it turns out that 0-yard interception returns are not listed as such in the boxscore (they are categorized as "pass intercepted in end zone") and therefore are not included in their database.

You can go to the player game finder. Enter "interception yards=0" and "interception td">=1." That's not all inclusive of course, as a player could have an interception in the end zone for a touchdown, and later record another interception and gain some yards.